One-Shot: Call a Truce
by LawrenceDaddarioWatsonStewart
Summary: Post-AYITL moment I envisioned for Jess and Lorelai. Enjoy!


**One-Shot: Call a Truce**

"Can someone please explain to me why the spare key is in a turtle's mouth?" Jess Mariano asked as he opened the door to Number 37, Maple Street. Behind him traipsed Lorelai Gilmore, his Uncle Luke, and Rory Gilmore - the last of whom was cuddling a baby in her arms.

"It's how we've always done it!" Lorelai protested. "At least it is a stone turtle..."

Jess smirked as he tossed the hospital overnight bag down in the kitchen. "Still - that's just wrong."

Rory and her family had just returned from her giving birth to her baby. The new mother now whisked the infant upstairs to the nursery, while the rest of her family tried to find a way to continue acting normally even though their entire dynamic had now permanently changed. Jess sat down at the table and pulled out his laptop, writing away on his manuscript for the sequel to _The Subsect_ , his first work. Before long, the others could hear a soprano voice wafting down to them from the stairs.

 _"I've never been in love before... Now all at once, it's you: it's you forevermore... I've never been in love before. I thought my heart was safe. I thought I knew the score. But this is wine that's all too strange and strong. I'm full of foolish song, and out my song must pour. So please forgive this helpless haze I'm in. I've really never been in love before..."_

Jess smirked upon hearing Rory sing the baby its first lullaby. "Guys and Dolls? How eclectic - and old-school! Why doesn't she just use a good Lady Gaga ballad? Pretty soon, we'll see the gushing Facebook videos..." He brought his voice up a register in imitation of Rory: _"Oh, Laurie, you have my whole heart! Oh, Laurie, you're the best thing that ever happened to me!"_ He stuck out his tongue in disgust.

Passing by him on the way to the toaster, Luke whacked his nephew upside the head. "Be nice! Your step-cousin just had a baby! Wait until you have your own kid - you'll understand!" he scolded. But his eyes were twinkling.

Lorelai, however, didn't notice this as Luke now headed out the back door to fix something on the porch. "You'd think he'd be more excited... It's practically his grandchild after all."

"Are you kidding?" Jess smirked. "The minute we're not looking, he's gonna steal the baby out of its crib, run into the street and shove it in everyone's faces. He'll beat out both Taylor and that Shammu from SeaWorld for the Smuggest Little Grin Award. He'll tell anyone who will listen. He's proud as a peacock, believe me... And I don't blame him. This is a winning moment. So it should be about the gloating. And rubbing their noses in it. The Na-Na-Na-Na-Na, I've-One-Upped-You taunting, if you will, that comes with the winning."

"Ugh, you sound like Donald "Cheeto Tarzan" Trump," Lorelai groaned.

"Pah!" Jess laughed. "Sadly, yes, but I think this is the only type of 'winning' we should never get tired of..."

The pair fell into silence, broken only by the clickers-clack of the laptop keys. "How's the writing coming?" Lorelai finally asked.

"I have to get two more chapters ready and submitted to my editor tomorrow. I'm in the home stretch..." Jess frowned as he concentrated. Lorelai fell silent to let him concentrate. Finally: "Done!" He looked at her, impressed. "I think that's the longest you've gone without talking!"

Lorelai smirked. "Don't be a tease." Jess gave her a funny look. Lorelai just shrugged. "Hey, I'm your aunt now; I get to tell you what to do."

Jess just laughed. "In the fifteen years we've known each other, when have you _not_ told me what to do? Only difference now is there's no epithet at the end."

The air suddenly got sucked out of the room and Lorelai looked away. "Lorelai... I didn't mean it like that... it was a joke... I'm sorry..."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," Lorelai jumped in. "I was never that nice to you, and... I can see now that I misjudged you."

Jess shook his head. "You judged me based on the information you had at the time. I didn't exactly do myself any favors. I was really lost when I was younger. And you wanna know something? I think I acted the way I did around you because I was envious of you."

Lorelai looked up at him, shocked. "Envious of me?"

"Of you and what you had with Rory. My mom never had that kind of bond with me. She's gotten better at it, but..." He shrugged. A momentary silence and then: "So, does this mean I have to call you Aunt Lorelai?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Now, you and I both know you wouldn't go for that. Lorelai is fine. Besides, you're the man of the house now, sitting at that table and working with a baby upstairs..."

Jess flushed beet red at what she was implying. "Aw, geez..."

Lorelai laughed. "Like uncle, like nephew!"

Another pause. "The baby's not mine..." Jess practically whispered.

"I know that," Lorelai said gently. "But the father won't be around. You're the closest thing she's got, Jess. It doesn't mean anything should be expected between you and Rory, but... she'd be more than grateful if you played a role in the baby's life."

Jess nodded, his mouth in a tight line as he glanced once at his computer screen, and then back to Lorelai. "All right. So... truce?" He held out his hand.

Lorelai beamed. " _Permanent_ truce." And they shook on it.


End file.
